1. Field
One embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processor and a method for upgrading a version of the processor. The information processor and the method relate to a device which executes information processing by using time data that depends on a clock count operation, and a method for upgrading the version of the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an information processor includes a function for executing information processing by using time data that depends on a time count operation. Meanwhile, the information processor upgrades a version of a processing program stored inside the processor in order to resolve a failure and add a function. However, in upgrading the version, since the processor stops execution of the program currently being processed, and stops the time counting operation, and then initializes the time data upon restarting, the processor generally prompts a user to reset the time data upon restarting.
For instance, although a video recorder with a reserved recording function of using the time data mounted thereon implements the clock count operation by means of a microcomputer, when the software in the microcomputer is upgraded, the video recorder generally resets the microcomputer, and then, restarts itself from an initial state. However, in resetting the microcomputer, since data in a random access memory (RAM), which is the storage destination of clock data, is lost, the video recorder has to start the operation after initializing the data in the RAM upon restarting. Therefore, obviously, since the time data stored in the RAM is initialized, it is needed to correct the clock time.
As is explained above, for the conventional video recorder, it is necessary for the user to correct the clock time, or for the clock to be corrected on the basis of time information from a vertical blanking interval (VBI), a time offset table (TOT) to be transmitted in a digital broadcast, or a network time protocol (NTP) server of the Internet.
However, in reality, there is a possibility for a user to forget to correct the clock time. However, time correction through a VBI, TOT or NTP may not actually correct the time, due to certain settings or circumstances of a system. Therefore, in upgrading the version, the video recorder is restricted in certain aspects of operation, such as reserved recording based on clock data, or gives up the upgrading the version to be automatically performed through a broadcasting wave in order to avoid an operation restriction.
To resolve the foregoing burden, a video recorder which can automatically set the time of the clock has been proposed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 07-066785. According to this proposal, the video recorder extracts time information included in the received broadcasting signal to set the time of the clock on the basis of the extracted time information. However, the method disclosed therein sets the time at a preset time, or upon power off of a main unit, and the setting is implemented in a manner having no connection with the version upgrading. Since the time of the clock is not set until time information is acquired from outside, the video recorder cannot utilize a timer function before acquiring the time information.
As mentioned above, in the conventional information processor, the time data results in initializing in initialization processing in upgrading the version, and it is needed to set the time of the clock in restarting the video recorder.